Women’s Careers Day Held At Umm Al-Qura

MAKKAH, 24 April 2003 — Princess Sultana Al-Ibrahim, wife of Prince Faisal ibn Abdul Majeed, has said that careers days highlight the range of skills with which people are blessed.

She was speaking at the Careers Day at the women’s section of Umm Al-Qura University.

“The first-ever Careers Day for the women’s section is an indication of how essential this subject is for female students,” said Dr. Wafa Al-Mazroa, dean of the section.

The first discussion, titled “Hiring Graduates: Between Reality and Hope”, involved Dr. Azizah Al-Manea, from King Saud University, Dr. Maryam Al-Sabban, formerly of Umm Al-Qura University, and Dr. Rowaidah Jamjoom, assistant manager of the employment office and female services in the Makkah region.

Dr. Azizah began with a discussion with a talk on the ability of the private sector to accommodate female graduates.

She suggested two ways of providing employment for female graduates, namely Saudization of existing jobs and creating new job opportunities for Saudi women. At the end of her discussion, she pointed to the huge number of graduates in theoretical subjects and the small number of graduates in more practical fields.

Dr. Maryam Al-Sabban followed her saying: “It is ironic how the job market is establishing rules for accepting graduate students at a time when all strategies emphasize Saudization.

“In the educational sector,” Dr. Maryam said, “the emphasis should be on methodologies, basic skills, and on the formation of adequate training courses.”

The second discussion titled “The Private Sector: Its Role in Training and Employing Women,” consisted of Dr. Nora Aba Al-Khail, from King Saud University, Dr. Nadya Ba Eshin, from King Abdul Aziz University, and Dr. Nawal Yaseen from Umm Al-Qura University.